Dorset Police scan 900 people through knife arches
It's been part of a nationwide crackdown on weapons
900 people have been through knife arches, and 770 students given information about the dangers of carrying weapons, in Dorset over just one week.
Police in the county have been taking part in a week of action under Operation Sceptre - a nationwide campaign to tackle knife crime.
Weapon surrender bins were also set up at Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth police stations.
During the week, Dorset Police also carried out eight stop and searches, and six test purchases to ensure knives aren't being sold to underage people illegally.
Three arrests have been made.
Chief Superintendent Heather Dixey said:
“Dorset Police supports this national campaign whole-heartedly. Thankfully, knife crime in Dorset remains low, but one person carrying a knife is one too many, so we work with our partners through the year to keep knives out of the hands of young people.
“We’ve had a very proactive week raising awareness around the consequences of knife carrying and carrying out enforcement activities in our communities. Our aim has been to educate people about knife carrying and that it doesn’t make you safer – the opposite in fact, it can put you in danger.
“Although the overall risk of knife crime remains low in Dorset, we must recognise that incidents do happen. In fact there was an incident involving a knife this week. This emphasises the importance of our on-going efforts, engaging with weeks like Sceptre, to remove knives from our streets.
“We’ve taken some weapons out of circulation, made some arrests and checked that knife retailers have been following the letter of the law when selling knives to young people.
“It’s important to make clear that our efforts are not just restricted to campaign weeks. We are proactive all year round in the endeavour to educate the public, enforce the law and keep our communities safe.
“Dorset remains one of the safest places in the country to live and tackling knife crime remains a key priority for us. We will continue to use every available resource to combat knife crime and keep our neighbourhoods amongst the safest in the country.”
This national campaign also falls within the 'Safer BCP' eight weeks of action against knife crime campaign, taking place in memory of Cameron Hamilton and Tom Roberts who were both killed in knife crime incidents in Bournemouth.
Various activities are taking place across the county, which are being supported by Dorset Police.
A celebration event will take place on 15th June.
David Sidwick, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset said:
“Although Dorset is a very safe place to live, work and visit I have been saying for a very long time now that while young people are still picking up knives thinking they are a form of protection, there is still more work to do and I will continue my campaign to drive down this offence.
"I am pleased to see a campaign like Sceptre taking place, not only in Dorset but across the country - tackling knife crime in a variety of ways, from education in schools to tough enforcement and test purchases.
"Dorset has had some good results and I’m pleased to see arrests being made and weapons being seized, but this ‘week of action’ isn’t a one off. Dorset police proactively go out every day of the year, enforcing the law, arresting offenders, removing weapons from circulation and preventing knife crime.
"Raising awareness, encouraging reporting, supporting victims, and routinely educating about the consequences is an absolute must, if we are to make in-roads into tackling this devastating crime and I would like to thank all the officers, staff and partners involved in the Sceptre campaign.”